The Doctor Who Wants Us To Stop Eating Cheese Makes His Case

Ira Glass sometimes warns, at the beginning of a piece on This American Life, “This segment acknowledges the existence of sex.” In the same spirit, I’d like to say that this article acknowledges the existence of veganism. (Did you think I was about to break into a steamy sex fueled cheese rant? Next article, I swear). I say that in case you have the tendency to break into wild and uncontrollable fits when someone says they’re a vegan or recommends the vegan lifestyle. As such, I’ll give you a moment to stop reading and/or cover the ears of the young one sitting beside you.

That’s not too shocking on its own, but Barnard’s suggestions of giving up cheese (and meat) will still end up being controversial. Not so much due to the science he reports, but because it’s not something we like to hear. No one wants to know that their favorite foods might not be doing them any favors. Nor do we want to hear that these same foods could be genuinely harmful.

From Barnard’s perspective, our beloved cheese is already killing us, so even if it makes us sad (and it does) to learn that that gouda and cheddar aren’t our friends (sworn enemies, in fact) he has a duty to inform us of what they’re doing to our insides. “My job as a doctor,” he says, “is to help people who are looking for an answer to their weight problems. My job as a doctor is to give people information. It’s not to control them, it’s to empower them.”

So here’s the good news: Barnard’s not going to walk into your house and slap down that cheesy slice of pizza you’re holding (that’s still illegal, thank god), but he does implore you to think really hard before ordering it. Because as much as we love gooey mozzarella, it may be hurting us in the long run.

“Cheese, is a love affair that’s not going very well,” Dr. Barnard says. “Which is to say, we love cheese, but it doesn’t love us back.”

I dont eat cheese. Never did, never will. I just dont like the taste. I’m 32 years old and my health is no better than the average person my age. Cutting out cheese and cheese alone, like completely cutting out anything else, is not the answer.

Sounds like you have more sense than this article. Let’s make wild claims and not back it up with fact. Feelings are not science, back it up with the chemistry, or solid numbers. And such a low brow attempt to engage an audience. I’m disappointed